Position Title: Community & Experiences Intern
Company Description: Launch Chapel Hill turns breakthroughs into businesses. We are the Triangle’s proving ground for deep tech founders building innovative solutions in enterprise, health, and defense. Since 2013, we have helped founders turn bold ideas into companies that raise capital, earn revenue, and stay in North Carolina. Today we help deep tech founders win their first paying customer.
Our programs support founders from first idea to first customer, from student founders to university researchers to startups selling to enterprise buyers. We work alongside partners including KPMG, Innovate Carolina at UNC, and the Town of Chapel Hill. Launch is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at The Junction in Chapel Hill.
Every Launch intern supports Launch Powered by KPMG, the deep tech accelerator we run with KPMG each spring. You will gain exposure to KPMG leaders and meet innovators across a range of industries. You will also plug into the innovation ecosystem at UNC and across the Triangle and North Carolina.
This internship is a strong fit for students interested in entrepreneurship, innovation and emerging technology, nonprofits, or organizations that support entrepreneurs.
Company Website: https://www.launchchapelhill.com
Internship Job Description:
In-person connection has become one of the most valuable assets a brand can build. Leading tech companies are hiring people who can build community and bring a brand to life through events, and those experiences are in high demand. Launch Powered by KPMG runs for six weeks. Most founders walk in worried it is too long and walk out saying it was not nearly long enough. You will help answer a big question for Launch. How do the best accelerators keep adding value after the program ends? You will spearhead Launch & Learn, a new series that fills gaps in our programming and keeps bringing founders, students, and our wider community together. Some of our best moments happen when those groups share a room, and we want more of them. Over time, we want Launch & Learn to become the front door to Launch for founders not yet ready for a full accelerator, and a way to stay close to alumni long after their cohort ends.
What you’ll do
• Research how leading accelerators and founder communities keep adding value after their programs end, and recommend what Launch should try.
• Conceptualize and lead Launch & Learn. Find the gaps in our programming, design a series that fills them, recruit speakers, and host 2–3 events during the semester.
• Bring founders, students, mentors, and community members together through formats beyond the panel, such as hands-on workshops, founder dinners, and small working sessions.
• Plan each event from concept to follow-up, including the attendee experience, budget, and vendors.
• Work with the Brand & Storytelling Intern on how each event looks and feels.
• Map the founder journey from application to alumni and recommend where Launch can make it better.
• Design light-touch ways to stay connected with alumni, such as check-ins, cohort reunions, and shared channels. Pilot at least one before the semester ends.
• Help shape Demo Day for Launch Powered by KPMG. Find ways to keep it fresh, deepen engagement, and give founders, mentors, and community members a reason to keep coming back and supporting Launch.
What you’ll bring
Launch is a two-person team, which means you will be handed the reins from day one. We will give you real opportunities, real challenges, and the trust to run with them. We are your biggest cheerleaders and are here whenever you need us. If you love taking an open question and turning it into something real, this role is for you.
• A natural connector who loves bringing people together.
• Creative thinking and a drive to try what has not been done before.
• Comfort with ambiguity and building as you go.
• Initiative and the follow-through to see your ideas become real.
• Entrepreneurial energy and a love of working on a small, ambitious team.
Type and Timing of Internship:
Part Time, during
Spring Semester
Approximate Start and End Dates:
2027-01-11T00:00:00Z to 2027-04-30T00:00:00Z
Internship Location: Chapel Hill
Paid or Unpaid: Yes –
Application Instructions:
2026-12-04T00:00:00Z
Email Naomi Burns at naomi@launchchapelhill.com by 5pm ET on December 4, 2026, with the subject line “Community & Experiences Intern – [Your Name]” You may apply for more than one role. Please send a separate email for each.
Include two things.
1. Your resume. No cover letter needed.
2. A short blurb of 3–5 sentences about yourself and your interest in the role, plus any questions you have.
Primary Contact Email: naomi@launchchapelhill.com